Manufacturing an aircraft is a complex process, largely involving manual tasks in assembling the aircraft. Commercial aircraft, for example, can be very large in size, and are typically manufactured in sections. Specifically, the fuselage portion for large commercial aircraft can comprise sections that are individually assembled and then combined. During assembly, different hydraulic, electrical, and other components are installed by workers in the individual sections and then in the combined sections of the fuselage. During manufacturing, it can be difficult for workers to physically access the necessary portions of the interior portions of the airframe, shell, or other area of the fuselage. Standing, let alone walking, directly on the interior of the airframe structure can be unsafe, and can potentially cause damage to installed components.
One approach for facilitating worker access during manufacturing of the fuselage is to provide a removable flooring system within the fuselage, upon which the workers can walk and stand upon when working on the interior of the fuselage. This flooring system comprises various sections called floorboards that are typically modular. These are placed on structural members, and allow workers to stand and walk about so as to complete their respective manufacturing tasks.
Some floorboard systems comprise floorboard panels which interlock, or that have integrated fasteners at each edge for affixing the floorboard panel with an adjacent floorboard panel. Incorporating one or two fasteners on each side increases cost and complexity of each panel, and further increases the time to install or remove a panel. Such floorboard panels may be relatively heavy, requiring two workers to safely install or remove a panel. Other floorboard panels are fastened to adjacent floorboard panels using plastic zip ties which loop through holes in the panel that also serve as handles for carrying the panel, but these floorboard panels are not secured to the support structure and may tip, thereby creating a hazard.
The floorboard system should promote safety, low cost, and ease of installation and removal, since one application is used as a temporary flooring structure that is only present during manufacturing. The floorboards should be able to be secured, so that they do not move, tilt, flex, or otherwise present an unsafe condition as workers walk about. An individual floorboard panel should also be easily removable, so that access to the area underneath a floorboard can be readily accessed. The system should provide a relatively flat surface, free of protrusions, so as to minimize tripping or other accidents. It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure herein is presented.